For many wireless communication system operators, maintaining and optimizing the communications system performance is a constant challenge. Factors that affect communication system performance include placement of transmitters or receivers, adjustment of antennas, and the selection of various software parameters that control almost every aspect of the communications system operation. Wireless communication system operators frequently wish to optimize range or coverage area of the communication system, the capacity or number of users that may be served by the system, and the bandwidth efficiency or amount of data that may be transported in a unit of time.
For communication systems that are full-duplex, the operator must be concerned with optimizing two wireless channels or links: an uplink and a downlink, which may also be referred to as a forward channel and a reverse channel. In some systems, the forward channel and the reverse channel are separated in frequency such that the characteristics or quality of one channel is not necessarily the same as those of the other channel. Therefore, the task of optimizing the wireless communications system may include simultaneously optimizing both wireless links. In some communication systems, this may be made more difficult by the fact that metrics and measurement techniques exist for one link and not the other. Furthermore, various modes of operation in the subscriber unit may depend upon the quality of one link independent of the quality of the other. For example, in some systems, such as a code division multiple access (CDMA) system that uses power control in the subscriber units, the system capacity is more sensitive to the proper control of the reverse link than the control of the forward link. Therefore, when such a communication mode depends upon the quality of the link that is not measured in the communications system, erroneous assumptions about the quality of a link may be made, which may lead to assumptions as to whether or not certain other modes of operation are available to a subscriber unit.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved method and system for estimating a communication mode quality in a wireless communication system.